


October (and all that goes with it)

by KawaiiKitsuneGirl



Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: AU, Gay, Hamilton - Freeform, History, I shall make it a thing, LGBT, Lams - Freeform, Love, M/M, Modern AU, Modern Day, Romance, Strangers, Train AU, bet nobody finds them, did i mention lams?, don't know if that's a thing, gay history, i love it, i ship everything in this fandom, i ship lams, so much AU, watch out for historical references
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-19
Updated: 2017-02-19
Packaged: 2018-09-25 16:56:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,934
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9831296
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KawaiiKitsuneGirl/pseuds/KawaiiKitsuneGirl
Summary: It’s actually a tube seat that kicks off the whole business, and that's not exactly normal, but Alex never liked being normal anyway.It only takes a month for them to fall in love.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Can I just mention that I love the head canons going around AO3 right now; so much representation happening and it makes me happy ...what with poly!dads in Sing and non-binary!Lafayette in Hamilton, there’s just so much acceptance. I love this site, and I love all the awesome users on it

Work Text:  
1st October

It’s actually a tube seat that kicks off the whole business.

There’s nothing special about the tube seat. There’s nothing special about the train Alex is riding on either, nothing changes here but the dull eyed passengers that step on and off it. The train is your typical fare: long, crowded and over-heated, and the day is a typical day: sunshine, rain, snow, thunder.

It’s reached the thunder stage now, but oddly there’s no rain falling down (or up, or any other direction at all for that matter). Alex thinks for a moment that maybe the sky’s run out of tears to cry, but it’s just a fanciful notion, it must be because obviously rain is just an average part of the water cycle- a lonely fact that Alex manages to retain somewhere in the depths of his mind, stored away from a frantic childhood.

He hasn’t even noticed the seat until the stop before his station (8:52, the train is making good time today) when he sees the guy sitting on it staring out of the same window he is.

There’s genuinely nothing odd about it (there are many people on the train. There are many people in the world. There are many people who have stared out of that window) but Alex smiles a little and continues to stare out the window, this time with a peculiar sense of comradeship filling his stomach.

He gets off at the next stop, forgetting all about the man, and hurries home. He makes it inside just before the rain starts, which makes his mother laugh and he smiles a little when he realises the small piecemeal luck that heavens sent down for him. She smiles back, then rushes off in a hurry to collect in the washing that she always forgets about.

________________________________________

2nd October

He has to take the day off; he’s got a pounding headache and a slight fever that apparently makes him ill. He would have wobbled in with or without fever, but his mum insists and he does all but faint at the   
noise of doors slamming. He attributes it to the old house, but they both know it’s him and not inanimate objects.

Alex occupies himself with odd jobs (that light bulb’s been flickering for years, but no one’s changed it ‘til now, the hinges squeak even with oil, the clock needs winding and resetting).

He’s basically asleep by lunch.

________________________________________

3rd October

It’s a Saturday, and Alex has no work, but he’s on the train anyway since he told his mum he had some overtime to do in order to catch up the ill day, the quiet Friday that he was forced to stay home for, and he’s reluctantly allowed to go, but on the condition that he only goes to the office and back.

The only problem with that plan is that the office is locked and the keys are with his boss (who’s gone away to France for the weekend) so he ends up mooching around his favourite coffee in London, buying a few hot chocolates to last him through the day and strolls a little before deciding that it’s okay to go back home again.

________________________________________

4th October

Nothing. Nothing happens. There is a reason Alex desperately wants to move to the city and it’s not just for convenience. The only change he has in his day is a university friend who posts online and Alex wants the company, so he messages him.

It’s an entire paragraph, classic Alex style. He never gets a response.

He rolls over and goes back to sleep.

________________________________________

5th October

He makes that train again, the past two days consisting of overtime and working from home, because there genuinely is nothing better to do, but this time he gets a seat on the train and doesn’t have to worry so much about passing out in the hot carriage.

It’s about half way down the carriage, and various people swap around in the seat next to him; bags, coats and the occasional book brushing and polishing and jostling him, and it’s a relief when someone finally sits down in a sensible coat with sensible shoes placed firmly on the ground, and Alex glances casually at them.

He’s a little surprised to see the man from the previous week (brown hair, green eyes and the most adorable set of freckles dotting his cheeks -he really is quite the pretty boy) sitting there, although it really is to be expected that the man might travel on this train quite a lot, but returns to his book hurriedly as the other starts, as though about to turn his head.

Alex studiously avoids his eyes (green like the sea up close) and waits it out.

________________________________________

7th October

He’s found a seat this time (hallelujah!) but merely two stops into his journey whilst the evening wears on, especially on a tired person such as himself, he is interrupted from his music by a shadow that glares angrily at him.

“Can I help you?” Alex asks finally, when the shadow has been standing there for almost five minutes straight, looking directly down at him, and the figure cocks its head to the side.

A flash of recognition darts across Alex’s face as the light catches the chiselled nose and he notices the profile of the man in front of him.

“Oh it’s you, Pretty Boy,” Alex blurts out, accidentally telling the man his nickname before blushing furiously as he realises what he’s said and bowing a quick apology, retreating quickly. He doesn’t see the puzzled look directed his way as said Pretty Boy takes his seat.

________________________________________

8th October

He times himself, watching the clock to finish for the 7:45 train. There’s something he needs to do at home.

That’s definitely the reason why he sprints for the locomotive that evening. No other reason at all. Nothing. Just…a thing.

Whatever his reason, he misses the train by a few minutes and heads back into work to finish some things for the Monday so he can get back on time. It’s not like the thing matters much anyway.

________________________________________

9th October

The sky matches his mood for once, drizzly and grey, and the sun just refuses to come out (Alex sighs and thinks ruefully that it’s bored of shining and just wants a day to rest…the British sun is lazy like that and he frequently wishes it was more hardworking like the Caribbean one, then they could enjoy the weather without the paranoia that British weather always holds).

He runs for the train and annoys everyone with a soggy umbrella that keeps knocking into people, and by the time he’s off the train, Alex is in a dour mood indeed.

He debates whether it’s worth bringing an umbrella next time.

Much more trouble than they’re worth, he’s noticed.

________________________________________

10th October

This time he’s dragged out of bed at an inordinately early hour (and this is coming from the man who commutes to work every day, and still reaches it early) and stuffed into some smart clothes.

He stares at himself in the mirror, his mother beaming behind him, and looks at the ruffled grey suit he’s wearing- Alex seems to have been coerced (read: forced) into a lunch party with the new neighbours.

He responds dutifully, but his heart’s not in it and the neighbours are annoying anyway so it doesn’t bother him much. They’re both so… happy, and he doesn’t like it.

He really hopes that the weekend can pass quickly.

________________________________________

11th October

Thankfully, he’s not forced to socialise again, which is lucky since he can barely summon the effort to get himself a drink, let alone walk and talk and smile (he genuinely shudders to think about it).

He debates his options, but it’s too noisy to fall asleep and so he lazily pulls his laptop to the bedside and types absent-mindedly. Alex gets as much work done as possible to shave time off the Monday.

________________________________________

12th October  
He ends up regretting it the next day, when it reaches 4 and there’s nothing left for him to do because too much work was completed the day before. He wonders if it’s worth justifying why he doesn’t head for the train immediately, but gives up as he realises that he doesn’t care.

No one else is asking either.

He really can’t be bothered to wait at the station for three and a half hours, so he walks to Primrose Hill with yet another hot chocolate (Alex thinks he’s addicted) and falls asleep under the tree at the top. It’s a little cold, but that’s never stopped him.

He wakes up again at 2am with some frantic calls from his mum, so he responds quickly and falls back asleep, waking up to his usual phone alarm at 7. He’s honestly quite shocked that no policemen came by to kick out the vagrants that linger, but pleased about it too.

Technically, it’s the 13th by this point, but he gets up anyway and goes into work with rumpled clothes and bleary eyes.

Alex doesn’t really care, no matter what Jefferson says.

________________________________________

13th October

There’s been an accident of some sort.

It’s not their train; they are perfectly fine (even if Alex’s train has somehow turned into their train, one that they catch together- it’s not like Alex has been deliberately catching it at this time, not like he’s been checking the clock more often than normal and hurrying to finish up his work in time for it) but the two of them do end up stranded for the better part of two hours.

Well, not so much stranded as unmoving with no desire to get off the train even though the doors are open, so they sit there as onlookers to the commuters that wander off to catch buses and taxis, people who have places to be at particular times.

Alex stays and watches a fire flickering orange against the dark sky, surprisingly nearby, close enough for him to feel the cool thrill of adrenaline charge through his veins. He imagines the way it burns his skin, burns the tip of his tongue and the way his lips crack with the heat-

“-It’s beautiful,” he hears someone mutter, a quiet offside, just embellishing a previous statement.

“It really is,” Alex agrees automatically, casually glancing across at the man and freezing because it’s Pretty Boy and they are actually talking, and the man is staring straight at him as he looks over.

He keeps the other guy’s gaze, impatiently waiting for the silence to be broken, but none is forthcoming (Alex wonders if he should say something, anything) and they part ways when the train begins to slowly chug forwards again. Alex is never going to admit that he feels more disappointed by this lack of conversation than he had reason to be.

The fire burns in his mind for a while longer. The green eyes with the glowing flames reflected in them stay longer than that.

________________________________________

14th October

Something makes Alex feel uncomfortable and fidgety all day long, a strange feeling of apprehension following him around the building and climbing aboard the train with him, tingeing his life with the grey of worry and strangely enough, a pastel pink of excitement.

He’s standing again, this time right next to the door that lets in a blast of freezing air at almost every stop (a mixed blessing) but there’s a sudden influx of people here, so Alex is pushed further into the carriage and stops just in front of his Pretty Boy.

He hasn’t noticed him yet, but then the train jerks suddenly, a small bump on the track amplified into a moment of chaos and catches Alex off guard.

He stumbles over nothing, his feet catching on the air and careens into the harsh metal pole, wincing as his back collides heavily, but he doesn’t have any time to recover as he bounces back into the man’s lap.

For a moment, everything goes silent. Alex freezes in place, aware that he needs to move and that he needs to move now but not quite communicating that properly to his legs, and so it’s his mouth that starts working again first.

“I’m- I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to- it was an accident- the train- I fell- it moved-“ Alex begins to babble, glaring holes in his thighs as they refuse to obey his commands and as soon as they work (not a moment too soon either, more like a couple of seconds too late) he’s off, slipping down the crowded corridors without one look at Pretty Boy.

He jumps off at the next stop, regardless of the fact that it’s not his own, and checks his watch after he’s successfully fled the train. 19:67, the digital watch reads for a moment, and then Alex frowns and looks properly, squinting at it until the numbers 20:07 are clearly visible.

________________________________________

15th October

Alex is terrified of catching the train today.

After the catastrophe of yesterday, he’s been wondering whether it would be worth it to wait it out another day or two (or maybe the rest of his life to be honest) but there’s something in him that forces him to stick out his chin and march into the carriage like a good little gentleman.

All he can do is pray that the other isn’t there, but his prayers have clearly gone unanswered, so here is the perfect example of an occasion when he really wishes that he could allow himself to swear.

Instead, since that isn’t an option, he sums up the last dregs of bravery that linger in him and stands next to the man.

“I really am sorry,” he interjects casually, looking straight ahead but making sure that’s its obvious who he’s talking to.

“Hmm?” the other man says, and for some reason, Alex notices the shift in mood today. Normally it’s an effort to get him to speak, but now he’s willingly partaking in conversation.

“You know- yesterday?” Alex prods, not sure if he’s excited that it wasn’t remembered or disappointed. He settles on neutral (they cancel one another out in the end) but his thoughts are cut off by a slight twitch of the lip, a smile curling its way up the perpetually scowling face and Alex stares in astonishment.

He must look a picture, standing there with his mouth hanging open like that, Alex thinks wryly, and can’t help the answering smile that shyly tacks itself into place, becoming bolder and bolder as his new friend (he hopes) starts to chuckle quietly and the sound gets louder and louder until it fills the air with humour, and it dances down his ears into his lungs until he can’t help but laugh as well.

And then it’s just the two of them, cracking up in the middle of a busy train carriage and gaining some personal space for once from fear that the insanity is catching, which it probably is, and the thought sets him off all over again until he infects the other and they swing the pendulum between them all the way to his friend’s stop (and by now he’s sure. They are friends).

Alex is still laughing as he exits the train.

________________________________________

16th October

He makes a beeline to Pretty Boy today, the seats still carrying the remnants of the easy friendship from the previous day.

They sit together with naught but grins exchanged in greeting, but on the stop before the other is due to get off, Alex pulls his wrist lightly and smirks.

“Alex,” he states easily, out of the blue (John’s eyes are green and throw his thoughts off balance). His cheeks stay pale, but quickly flush when the position is switched on him and Alex’s wrist is dragged down until his ear is at the same level as his friend’s.

“John,” he whispers, and his breath fans Alex’s ear for a moment (his long hair takes the initiative to muss itself up) and then John stands up and walks off the train.

It’s just lucky that Alex has another few stops to go, because he’s not sure that he has enough presence of mind to stand up and get off the carriage right now,

________________________________________

17th October

He’s feeling reckless, so he climbs out of the window.

It’s not like it’s a hard task or anything, but it’s one that he would surely be reprimanded for, if anyone knew (or were to find out), so Alex is worried all the same.

The curtain in the window next door flutters and the roll at the bottom makes an audible clank- there’s someone there, he knows it, he’s gonna be caught and he’s five all over again, hand in the cookie jar- but no face appears and he breathes a sigh of relief.

He hastily pulls his foot in a few more times though, half inside the room and half out, for fear that the people passing by will know him and his mum will find out.

It’s an odd feeling, sitting on each side, and it feels like he’s free whenever he looks to the fresh air and confined all over again as he stares back at his drab room.

He wishes John was here. They’d have great fun with this game (but for now it’s his, private and untouched).

________________________________________

18th October

He sleeps virtually the whole day and it seems to be a recurrent theme for his Sundays now, but he ended up on the ledge for half the night and Alex can’t help but feel a little groggy and rather irritated as his alarm goes off promptly.

It’s the weekend. He can do what he wants.

The problem is that what he wants to do is go back to London, back to work, back to his train and personal space where the only people who know him are the ones who he wants to know.

It’s just not the same going out in a small town where everyone knows everyone.

________________________________________

19th October

Even his colleagues notice that there’s something different about him today.

And that’s really saying something, since sometimes Alex wonders if they even know he exists, so there really must be something wrong with him today (“Not wrong…just different,” Angelica says. Eliza passes by on her way to the coffee machine and nods in agreement, and Alex really does hate their telepathy sometimes).

He gets so lost in thought that he doesn’t notice the arm waving to him from the seat next to the window, and has to be forcefully pinched before he looks up in shock and grins sheepishly.

“What’s up?” John asks, and Alex debates whether he wants to go there or not.

‘Where would we go anyway?’ he wonders, and gives up on the idea for the day. He can research later and ask tomorrow, so he grins and says “Nothing,”

________________________________________

20th October

He tries again, but this time the words almost literally lodge themselves in his throat and he can’t speak around them.

All that comes out is a very unmanly squeak, and that’s more than enough to stop him in his tracks. Alex may have no idea how he wants this date to go, but he knows that he doesn’t want it to start like this, with ungainly screeching on his end

Or either end for that matter, once he thinks about it. Surprisingly, it’s not something that he’s ever thought about before.

He’ll try again soon.

________________________________________

21st October

“John,” he says, and something in his tone makes the other stop in his tracks, turning his full attention to Alex, who remembers the reason why he so dislikes the spotlight and ‘eeps’, blushing furiously and shaking his head again, even though he’s decided that today is going to be the day when he finally asks him out.

“Hmm?” the brunette asks and grins brilliantly at him, white teeth flashing, but Alex seriously has no words to say anymore.

“Nev- Never mind,” he squeaks manly and receives an eye roll for his courage.

“Do I need to guess then?” John responds cheerfully, but the blonde just looks down and says nothing.

“In which case…would you go on a date with me, Alex?” Alex looks up like a rabbit in the headlights, and his grin is wildfire across his face.

“Really?” he asks softly, wondering where the punch line is hiding, but the brunette just smiles down at him and answers “really,”

They settle on two days from today, a casual date in the morning (they still have hectic schedules and lives, date or no date) and they’ll go to a nearby coffee shop at 7. That way they can both still be in for half eight and fit the date in too, so it’s sorted, and Alex can’t remember the last time he was this excited.

It might be never.

________________________________________

22nd October

He’s on tenterhooks, even more so than normal.

They realise about 10 minutes into the journey that they haven’t actually swapped numbers so John rattles his off with a smirk, and Alex asks politely for the other’s phone to type his number into.

It turns out that they have rival company phones, and so that’s the topic of conversation for the day sorted (htc is always the best).

________________________________________

23rd October

This time it’s a sort of date, one of those ones that sort of feel mushy but could just as easily be with a friend or relative.

It’s the morning, which is odd, and it’s messed with Alex’s routine, which is odd, but the oddest part of the whole affair is that he allows John to mess up his hair as they stroll off the train and find the local coffee shop, which is homely and friendly and has a helpful waitress that takes their orders.

“So…” Alex starts, only he’s never been great with conversation and his attempts only make John laugh at his friend, and so he says as much.

Alex becomes mock outraged and the two of them are in high spirits by the time their drinks finally come, which is fortunate, since the quality of the drinks is not the best.

John puts it bluntly “This is the worst coffee I’ve ever had,” and then they laugh, because the whole situation’s just turned kind of funny now.

After that, they pay for the drinks and grab a hot chocolate at the train station (which is indeed much nicer; John has a severe case of sweet tooth and Alex is always up for chocolate) before they have to part.

They end up with another hot chocolate on the way home, even though it’s extremely fattening and they know it.

________________________________________

24th October

“Um…I really enjoyed our date last night,” he smiles shyly, despite the fact that they’ve been chatting together for a good three weeks now, and they’re on the phone anyway.

“I’m glad, although I know you’re lying if you say our drinks were anything close to brilliant,” John snipes back, and Alex bites back a grin, knowing that he would never be able to argue that.

“Shall we go out again Monday?”he questions, imagining meeting green eyes confidently and unable to suppress the answering beam that rises onto his lips, and his day dreams are probably becoming a little too extreme now.

“That’d be great, but I need to check my diary first,” John responds, and Alex nods.

“You just nodded, didn’t you,” the other deadpans down the line, and he rubs his cheek in embarrassment.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” comes the answer, and they chat for a few hours, only going when Alex’s mother wants to use the phone.

She takes it from him with a wink and he rolls his eyes.

________________________________________

25th October

The entire day’s spent inside his closet.

He’s not trying to be funny about it or anything; it’s just how it ended up.

Alex still can’t find a decent outfit.

________________________________________

26th October

They meet up outside the train for once, prearranging a seven o’clock start and John catches the line a few stops in the wrong direction of his house, whilst Alex waits nervously outside the main exit.

It’s a mild evening, which Alex is eternally grateful for due to his lack of a coat (yes he’s an idiot) and it’s still warm when they reach the restaurant.

Everything is familiar and comforting about their relationship by this point, and they both enjoy the meal, and share a laugh as they order take away hot chocolate- which is promptly spilt down Alex’s white shirt.

“Damn!” he jumps back, slapping at it ineffectively, and his friend cracks up, pulling him by his collar closer in order to rub at the rapidly staining mark.

All that happens is it smears further, so Alex grabs John’s hand and is about to tell him not to bother when he looks up and sees that his green eyes are inches away.

“Kiss me,” Alex whispers bluntly, losing all his normal shyness and with it his etiquette, but the brunette just grins.

“Is that an order, your highness?” he flirts back, face definitely closer than it was before and so Alex just nods, grinning wordlessly up towards the other.

There aren’t many words after that either; “goodbye,” is the next word in their vocabulary and they split up reluctantly when they reach the train station, but the taste of hot chocolate lingers in Alex’s mouth long after the perpetrator is out of sight.

________________________________________

27th October

“HTC is still better,” and Alex disturbs the other passengers with his vehemence about the greatness of Apple, who have a lot less to say after they start kissing part way into the journey.

John finds the general public’s reactions hysterical, and Alex is rather prone to agree with him.

“On for Saturday?” he slips in, surprising himself with his audacity and causing John to laugh in a mixture of surprise and excitement.

The brunette stands and takes Alex’s hand without breaking their eye contact, and presses a light kiss to it.

“Of course, my Lord,” he winks and exits the train.

Alex blushes red like a fire engine and remains that way long enough to receive wary stares from people around him. He’s getting quite used to it by this point.

________________________________________

28th October

There’s a work-do on that day, so he goes out that night with Hercules and Lafayette to grab a drink first (nothing alcoholic, just a dull but quite pleasing diet coke) and then chats around with various people, whiling time away until he can get back to his nice quiet room.

He spends much of the time deliberating on whether he should rent a flat or not and still hasn’t come to any conclusion other than maybe to think about it some more in a little while, and it’s needless to say that nobody finds him very stimulating conversation.

________________________________________

29th October

“Tell you what. Let’s meet up t-“the line goes static and then John’s back again, waiting for an answer even though Alex isn’t clear on what he’s said.

However, it’s something that John offers freely down the phone (a novelty that Alex still hasn’t got over; having his number) and so he readily agrees, taking the part of the word that he misheard as tomorrow.

________________________________________

30th October

However, he really can’t make it over that day.

There’s a meeting that goes on long into the night and he misses his train along with about 40 that follow, and only makes it home by 1. Alex calls John multiple times, frantic calls that all end up in voicemail, and he doesn’t know why.

The brunette is rather stressed out by the time he reaches his room, so he sits on the ledge to calm himself down, sitting there until his bum goes numb and he’s forced to move in order to not lose any extremities to the cold night.

He finally gets through at 3am, his voice a rush of words and panicked tones that culminate in a mess of a conversation until his friend interjects “Woah, Alex, calm down. I’ll be over at yours tomorrow,”

Alex goes back inside his room and sleeps soundly after that, despite having spent 6 hours worth of time doing nothing but stressing.

________________________________________

31st October

It’s Halloween, and although Alex hasn’t been excited over little festivals like this since around the age of 8, he’s hyperactive despite himself and the late night he ended up with.

His mother notices, asks him why he’s so happy today, but he just grins back and says nothing. This is his thing, a private thing, and he loves his mother but he’s not about to share details like this with her.

No, this is his thing.

He’s friendly that day as well, so friendly that the cashier at the local market starts laughing at how he can’t stand still and how he’s constantly checking his watch, wishing for the time to go faster (they still don’t meet for another two hours. Time’s never passed so slowly), but he just winks mysteriously and takes the shopping bag that’s been filled to bursting with sweets.

Alex’s mum’s gone out for the evening when he gets back- she never could stand Halloween- and so he unashamedly plonks the food in the middle of the dining table, digging out all the fancy dress he can find along with an entire collection of skulls.

He’s not even going to think about how ghoulish it is of his parents to have bought these things considering that they haven’t celebrated the festival in roughly a decade.

Unfortunately this only takes up about half of the time left, so Alex forces himself to sit down on the sofa and take out a book in order to wait out the final hour.

The doorbell rings half an hour in, and he’s flown to the door in seconds, flinging it open and dragging John inside (and luckily it is him, otherwise that could have made for a very awkward conversation with some random postman) and shoving his crush (boyfriend?) at the heaped pile of decorations.

“Excited, huh?” the brunette chuckles, laughing at his manic energy, but his only response is to throw some more skulls into the awaiting arms: flashing Christmas lights, a disco ball, some tangled cobwebs which are probably fake, a few light-up pumpkins and a pot of glow in the dark paint that may or may not have the lid on properly and may or may not be toxic.

Either way, it’s a great afternoon, even when John tangles himself up in the ribbons that Alex hadn’t actually brought out and the two of them end up spending the next ten radio hits caught up in ribbons.

The first kid comes to the door at 6 on the dot, and they are there with a tub overflowing with diabetes and some pretty spectacular fake fangs. The next time Alex forces John into the little pink dress (there’s a horrifying creature for their house) and gets the deadliest death glare he’s seen yet but when it’s Alex in the dress, the other is extremely smug; the children who come to the door squeak in shock.

A few run away. They don’t talk about those ones.

All in all, Alex is sad when it comes to an end. They settle together on the couch at about 9, deciding to watch The Ring since its Halloween and the couch sinks under their combined weight. They get up occasionally to pig out on snacks, but by the end John is terrified of the movie. Alex has blackmail material for weeks afterwards, and laughs hysterically every time static pops up on the TV (he sets it up as a screensaver on the PC just for a laugh).

He still hasn’t mentioned the fact that the glow in the dark paint did, in fact, leak all over John’s hair.

However, the end of the evening ends up being the best part. The mini movie marathon winds up at about 1, along with the remains of their energy, so they lie slumped on the couch with stuffing trickling across the floor.

John sits up suddenly and turns to Alex.

“Alex?” he asks in a soft voice, and causes the brunette to sit up next to him, silently expectant.

“Will you be my boyfriend?” he blurts out, at the same time as Alex caresses his cheek and asks “Are we boyfriends?”

They both blink in shock, not quite in sync but somewhere near it none the less and it’s the wrong time of day, the wrong moment, the wrong evening (they are still in the skin tight pink dresses and heaven forbid that his mum walks in now) but Alex couldn’t care less.

It’s his move now, and he leans in quietly, staring straight at John’s green eyes. Alex lets his lips brush gently and tenderly against his date’s mouth and mutters a fervent “Yes,”

________________________________________

11th October (2 years on)

Alex grins as he and John sit back into the seats that they had first met in two years previously. John doesn’t say anything, but the edges of his thin lips curl upwards into a gesture that conveys his mood as absolutely ecstatic to anyone who knows him and vaguely amused to anyone who doesn’t.

“This is where you wanted to come for our early anniversary?” he beams, looking nostalgically around the old carriage, with the scratched glass windows and graffiti tagged corners, taking no notice of the various passengers around the train that are for whatever reason, looking at the two of them with a range of expressions: 76% happiness, 14% grumpiness.

Alex laughs out loud at his observation, turning back to share it with John and gasps.

Behind him, John is bent onto one knee (on the dirty floor) and the other one supports his hand as he holds up a set of matching rings, both silver inlaid with a variety of coloured gemstones, the bands gleaming under the harsh light of the carriage.

“John?” Alex whispers, brown eyes shining and cheeks flushed red whilst John smiles back.

“Alex, here was where we met and first kissed. I love you. Marry me,” John finishes with a smug smile, looking up at him expectantly as Alex struggles, speechless in the face of the proposal. It’s short for a proposal, but then John never was one for long speeches.

“Is that an order from my commander?” he teases, remembering their first intentional kiss by King’s Cross and grinning even wider.

“Yes,” John completes the scene and Alex steps forward to accept the rings, but as luck would have it, the train chooses then to suddenly swerve.

Alex stumbles forwards, straight into John’s lap, and John carefully lifts one of his partner’s larger hands behind his back, sliding a ring onto it gently before pulling his partner up to the seat next to him.

One last time, they check the digital watch on Alex’s wrist and it reads 20:14, but it’s cracked slightly where it hit the floor, and the seconds aren’t counting anymore.

The watch is broken, but he no longer needs to tell the time because this time, when they get off, the two of them get off together.


End file.
